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Herpes zoster (or simply zoster), commonly known as shingles, is a viral disease characterised by a painful skin rash with blisters in a limited area on one side of the body. The initial infection with varicella zoster virus (VZV) causes the acute (short-lived) illness chickenpox, and generally occurs in children and young people. Once an episode of chickenpox has resolved, the virus is not eliminated from the body but can go on to cause shingles—an illness with very different symptoms—often many years after the initial infection.Varicella zoster virus can become latent in the nerve cell bodies and less frequently in non-neuronal satellite cells of dorsal root, cranial nerve or autonomic ganglion, without causing any symptoms. In an immunocompromised individual, perhaps years or decades after a chickenpox infection, the virus may break out of nerve cell bodies and travel down nerve axons to cause viral infection of the skin in the region of the nerve. The virus may spread from one or more ganglia along nerves of an affected segment and infect the corresponding dermatome causing a painful rash. Although the rash usually heals within two to four weeks, some sufferers experience residual nerve pain for months or years, a condition called postherpetic neuralgia. Exactly how the virus remains latent in the body, and subsequently re-activates is not understood.Throughout the world the incidence rate of herpes zoster ranges from 1.2 to 3.4 cases appear every year per 1,000 healthy individuals, increasing to 3.9–11.8 per year per 1,000 individuals among those older than 65 years. Antiviral drug treatment can reduce the severity and duration of herpes zoster, if a seven to ten day course of these drugs is started within 72 hours of the appearance of the characteristic rash.
Shingles is something that adults get when they haven't had chickenpox and have been in contact with the virus. I am no expert but believe it is more severe as it attacks the nervous system. It is very painful. My Friends husband has had shingles for the last three weeks.
neil. technically, yes your body IS fighting of the chicken pox virus. But it is so adequately equipped to do so do to your acquired immunity to it that it really takes very little energy at all and thus you feel no effects.I never knew shingles and chicken pox to be related. I thought they were completely seperate viruses. They have different vaccines, and I'm pretty sure you can have chicken pox as a child and still contract shingles as an adult. could be wrong though. not a shingles expert.
My understanding also is that shingles and chicken pox are the same virus. Shingles occurs when the virus hides itself in the nervous system, where the immune system has trouble flushing it out, and then mounts an attack when the body is under stress.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ShinglesQuoteHerpes zoster (or simply zoster), commonly known as shingles, is a viral disease characterised by a painful skin rash with blisters in a limited area on one side of the body. The initial infection with varicella zoster virus (VZV) causes the acute (short-lived) illness chickenpox, and generally occurs in children and young people. Once an episode of chickenpox has resolved, the virus is not eliminated from the body but can go on to cause shingles—an illness with very different symptoms—often many years after the initial infection.Varicella zoster virus can become latent in the nerve cell bodies and less frequently in non-neuronal satellite cells of dorsal root, cranial nerve or autonomic ganglion, without causing any symptoms. In an immunocompromised individual, perhaps years or decades after a chickenpox infection, the virus may break out of nerve cell bodies and travel down nerve axons to cause viral infection of the skin in the region of the nerve. The virus may spread from one or more ganglia along nerves of an affected segment and infect the corresponding dermatome causing a painful rash. Although the rash usually heals within two to four weeks, some sufferers experience residual nerve pain for months or years, a condition called postherpetic neuralgia. Exactly how the virus remains latent in the body, and subsequently re-activates is not understood.Throughout the world the incidence rate of herpes zoster ranges from 1.2 to 3.4 cases appear every year per 1,000 healthy individuals, increasing to 3.9–11.8 per year per 1,000 individuals among those older than 65 years. Antiviral drug treatment can reduce the severity and duration of herpes zoster, if a seven to ten day course of these drugs is started within 72 hours of the appearance of the characteristic rash.I do remember hearing that although the virus enters the nerves when you get chicken pox, and can stay there for decades; if your children have chicken pox, then it will reinforce your own immune response to chicken pox that you developed as a child, and so reduce your likelihood of getting shingles.
Yep on what george says .. I always heard shingles was from being exposed to the virus in early years then it lies dormant until re-exposed as an adult! My brother in law had shingles a couple years ago.. almost killed him... he was stuck on a fishing rig off alaska and had gotten really really sick.. they tried to treat him on board but were not equipted he got so bad they had to air lift him from the ship and fly him to a hospital in Anchorage Alaska.. he was there for a bit over a month before they could get him home... he was in bad shape.. because he had it so bad.. without treatment and did unwell with it.I had chicken pox a couple years ago.... You can get them twice I believe if the first case was mild... I never had them as a kid and was exposed lots and lots of times and did not get them until I was 40 something..Did you ever have them real good as a child?
Are ewe Shingle proof once you've had Shingles then ?